In today’s world, it seems like almost anything can send massive amounts of people into a panic in the blink of an eye. The added emphasis of social media extending and often exaggerating what goes on doesn’t help either.
Naturally, when gas prices began to rise in early March, this caused waves of panic all across the United States. According to The New York Times, gas prices reached a new nationwide average of $4.07 per gallon within the first couple weeks of March.
Of course, this raises concerns for U.S. citizens across the country. When items of necessity like food, shelter, and now gas prices feel more unattainable, this can ignite fear in the minds of citizens, especially those who are considered middle or lower class in economic terms.
Even I admit that when I saw this surge in gas prices, worry was my first reaction, in addition to recognizing that the nationwide average was the highest I’d ever seen gas prices be. Just like a lot of other people, I wanted to be cautious and budget my time and money as best as I could given the circumstances.
Some people even took to social media, making and posting memes that joke about the panic over these high gas prices with hilarious faces of people with concerned looks. On the other hand, social media has allowed people to overhype their own reactions as well as point fingers to try and find someone or something to blame.
One major source of blame was President Joe Biden, even though the U.S. president himself does not have direct control over the fluctuation of gas prices.
When it comes to perspective on new situations to deal with like the current gas price surge, I think there are a few things to keep in mind.
One of the most important things is that the surge in gas prices is somewhat affected by Russia invading Ukraine. I am not pointing fingers as I mentioned earlier; instead, I mention this to acknowledge that while U.S. citizens are concerned over gas prices, there are Ukrainian citizens who are handling the trauma of having their country invaded, mourning the deaths of loved ones, losing homes, and so much more.
It’s also important to remember that gas prices are not linear, nor is the state of the world around us that influences how they fluctuate.
Something as mundane as gas prices should be kept in mind as people go about their daily lives, but it should not dictate the mindset of nearly everything, sending the world into a panic almost each time news comes out. Not everything that isn’t positive should be seen as a crisis, because then the truly beautiful side of the mundane will be forgotten and left unappreciated, like the ability to sleep under a roof, eat a hot meal, or yes, drive a car.
I’m not saying that this gas price issue is nothing to be concerned about, just that it’s not the absolute end of the world. Like most other things in life, this problem is temporary.
